#having my senses back to a certain degree has been nice

[rosestthorns]

I am discovering what pain is. I'm here to report:

[IT IS UNPLEASANT]

[stevieschrodinger]

Part One Two Three Four

Steve sits with his head pressed against the steering wheel.

In the passenger seat, Robin’s doing her make up.

“What are we doing here, Rob?”

“You mean like, in the cosmic soul searching sense, or here specifically?”

“Here. Specifically.”

“Well, your beautiful brunette boyfriend-”

“You don’t score points for alliteration. And he’s not my boyfriend.”

“All right then, the man who is under the distinct impression that he’s your boyfriend, suggested we all hang out together. So we are here. At the place I suggested.”

“Because you know I hate it here.”

Robin makes a non committal noise, Steve looks, she’s pulling the horrendous mascara face. He goes back to resting his forehead on the steering wheel.

Steve does hate it here. Reminds him of...fucking work brunches with his father and Sunday lunches with his mother and he just. Hates it.

Steve sighs like a Victorian maid who’s betrothed has not yet returned from sea. He’s certain he’ll die from consumption at any minute.

“Shut up you big baby,” Robin tells him as she fluffs her hair, “all I want is to finger bang this chick in the bathroom and then rub my cunt on her face, is that too much to ask?”

And Robin has been wholly supportive of Steve so far, so, “no, I suppose-what the fuck Robin? Did you choose this place because-”

“I like the bathrooms-”

“-the bathrooms are nice-”

“What?-”

“Oh you fucking-”

“They’re romantic kinda’.”

“They’re bathrooms, Robin!”

“The lighting is good. I like the vibe.”

“Oh my god.”

Steve’s stares mournfully after his best friend. She’s at the bar with Chrissy, because Chrissy wanted to watch the guy make their cocktails, look he does tricks with the thing, like in that old movie with Tom Cruise.

Steve could physically feel himself ageing as she spoke.

“It’s so cool they’re dating.” Steve does not point out that whatever Robin's about to do to Chrissy, it will be a four letter word, but that four letter word is not ‘date’.

“You think?”

Eddie smiles big. The dimples come out. Huge happy brown fucking cow eyes. He’s not attractive Steve reminds himself viciously. He’s playing with his cutlery because he can’t sit still and...his chins too pointy. Or something. “Well yeah. It’d be so cool if they get married.”

Steve nearly chokes on his drink.

“Hey man, you okay?”

“Fine, fine,” Steve’s nose is burning from the bubbles going up there, “what makes you think they’ll get married?”

“Well...why would you date someone if you can’t see it going somewhere?” Steve hopes this is going somewhere; like to a bed, specifically, “so there’s a chance, right? I can tell Chris really likes her. I hope it’s like, a long term thing.”

Steve feels himself slow blink. He doesn’t explain to Eddie that you date someone because you want to stick your penis in them. Eddie turns to watch the girls again, they laugh, and Eddie grins at them, all happy and fond.

Steve sighs.

“You okay?”

“Sorry?”

“You just...you don’t seem so happy to be here man. Kind of tense.”

Steve has no idea how Eddie even noticed, usually people don’t notice. Or usually people don’t care, but it amounts to the same thing because coming to somewhere like this is just the step you take before you step into a bedroom.

“I...I actually don’t really like it here much.”

Eddie looks at him, leans close. He’s ready to really listen. He...cares. About Steve. Steve wonders if he’s going to come up in a rash; it feels like the sort of thing he should be allergic too. He wonders vaguely if there’s antihistamines in the glove box.

“Why?”

“Well...I.” Steve pulls a face. He doesn’t talk about...meaningful things, but he figures it can’t hurt this once, he can be vague. Especially if it increases the chance of doing the no pants dance with Eddie, “I don’t have the best relationship with my parents. I mean, they’re good parents, I had really good nannies growing up, had a great education, the best boarding school, they funded my degree, gave me a solid start at work, so they are great...we just don’t exactly get on all the time. We used to come here for pretty much every family meal.”

Eddie’s frown deepens the more Steve talks, “how often were the...family meals?”

“I don’t know,” Steve hums, “holidays I guess, when I was away, and then...maybe fortnightly? We don’t do it now, obviously.”

“Oh. Me and uncle Wayne had one meal a day together, at least, when I lived there. It was like, a house rule.”

“Oh that’s...you’re close?” To Steve that already sounds like something out of the fucking Brady Bunch.

“Yeah. Speaking of which, he’s invited you to dinner.”

“Dinner?” Steve asks weakly.

“Yeah, since you’re courting that boy, he said.” Eddie puts his hands up to do the air quotes. And then he grins. That big stupid grin. He looks so happy. So genuinely happy to see Steve. So happy about the prospect of just...seeing him again.

Steve does not point out that a blow job at a garden party, humping each other in a public bathroom, and one co ed BBQ does not courting make.

“Right.”

“Awesome, I’ll let you know when,” Eddie drums two forks on the edge of the table. Steve stares at his bony wrists. His mind suggests phrases like, ‘slender’ and ‘delicate’ and Steve ignores those and thinks about how he could very easily hold both of those wrists in one hand. “listen, do you want to get out of here?”

“Sorry?”

“Well, the girls won’t care,” and he’s probably right there, “and you don’t like it here, and I don’t care where I am as long as it’s with you.”

Steve riffles through his internal Rolodex and comes up blank; no one has ever said anything that sincere to him in his life. And Eddie means it too; he means everything he says in a completely unguarded way Steve has literally never encountered before. It’s like meeting an alien. Steve wants to put him under a microscope.

“I just want you to have a nice time, you know. I want you to be happy.”

Eddie reaches out and takes Steve’s hand.

Steve lets him.

Part Six

[reidsaurora]

Your event is so cute!!! Could I get a sun kissed Malibu dream house with Aaron?? 🥹 in need of some fluff with him hehe

i am so so sorry this took me so long to write! writer's block these past few months has been kicking my butt. but, thanks to my awesome betas, i think i wrote something you'll like! hope you enjoy!

"Summer Lovin" ~ A. Hotchner

Summary: As the start of summer arrives, you and your friends at the BAU find yourselves feeling a bit reminiscent of the summers before. Along with that reminiscence, you start to miss the days when you and Aaron had little babies instead of big kids…

Pairing: Dad!Aaron Hotchner x Mom!Reader

Word Count: 2,019

Content Warning: lots of talk of babies/pregnancy, sexual humor, kind of fade to black smut if you read between the lines lol, small mention of food, lmk if i missed anything!

Extra Notes: i'm so sorry this took so long, i had a very hard time writing this and def meant to post it sooner. however, in the spirit of my city being under a heat advisory today, this feels appropriate to post 😂

Originally Written: 06/04/2024 through 06/25/2024

Beta Read By: @dungeons-are-too-cold and @virtual-vivi 🫶🏻🩷

Criminal Minds masterlist can be found here!

Summer Celebration info can be found here!

Sun Kissed - fluff requests

Malibu Dream House - domestic!au

Aaron tossed off the blanket, letting out a small sigh of relief. “When did it get so hot?” he grumbled, his morning voice prominent. As he rolled over to his back, you spotted a big wet spot on the front of his tee shirt from just how much he was sweating.

Still, you scooted closer to him anyway and tossed an arm over his abdomen, his familiar scent filling your senses. “News said there’d be an excessive heat wave today.”

“It's probably ninety degrees already,” he complained, “and it's not even 9:00 yet.”

Rolling onto your side to face him, you left a trail of kisses along his jawline. “Hey, Mr. Grumpy Gills,” you giggled, referencing one of your kids’ favorite movies. “When life gets you down, you know what you gotta do?”

“It's sweltering! How in the world could you possibly want to cuddle right now?” Aaron ignored your attempt to brighten the mood, instead opting to toss a pillow over his head and groan into it.

You just pulled the pillow away and left another peck on his jaw. “Because I love you. And because our children are gonna come in here any minute to take you away from me.”

He noticed the small pout that followed your statement, the expression enough to soften even Aaron Hotchner, king of stoicism, up. “Alright, fine. I'll allow it. But only because you drive a hard bargain.”

Your pout was replaced with a smirk as you snuggled closer into his side. “Mmm, that means a lot, coming from an ex-prosecutor. Maybe I should've gone to law school with you.”

“You're too sensitive for the big house, or whatever they say,” Aaron snickered. After noticing your look of offense, he quickly covered with, “I didn't mean it in a bad way. You have feelings. It's a very nice thing to come home to after dealing with emotionless psychopaths all day.”

“I think you're trying to compliment me. I'll take it.”

His lips met yours for a quick peck before saying, “I have nothing but compliments for you, my love,” Then, he met you with a second, much longer kiss, and while he tasted like morning breath, moments like this were so rare that you were willing to look past it.

One of his large hands met your leg, his calloused fingertips trailing along your bare skin. It felt like a lifetime since you'd been like this, with two children always needing your attention and the FBI always needing Aaron's. Just a simple touch of his fingers had you forgetting about the outside world, if even for just a moment.

Your lips met his neck, his stubble scratchy against your skin. He'd been away on a case in Seattle for about a week, and you were certain he hadn't shaved the whole trip. You liked it that way anyway.

His hand traveled further up under your nightgown, settling on your thigh. He squeezed the supple skin, a gesture of both affection and want.

“Are you trying to go for number three?” you joked before kissing his neck once more.

“Believe me,” Aaron chuckled, “if I knew I had enough time, I'd certainly try.”

As if on cue, four scurrying feet came stamping across the hardwood floor into your bedroom. “Good morning, Daddy!” both of your children yelled in sync, climbing onto the edge of the bed.

“That's why you're not allowed a third,” you mumbled into his ear. “The ones you have don't even appreciate me.”

“They love you, I promise,” he whispered, kissing your cheek. To the kids, he said, “Good morning. Don't you have anything else you want to say?”

They both turned to you, sheepish looks coming across their tiny, adorable faces. “Good morning, Mommy.”

“That's better,” Aaron said, gaining him a snicker from you. “Now, may I ask why the two of you are up so early and you're already in your swimsuits?”

It was then that you realized he was right. Jack, the older of your children, was sporting his favorite Spiderman swim trunks, while his little sister, Libby, had managed to dress herself in a cherry-print swimsuit she hadn't quite grown into yet. They made your heart melt.

“Daddy,” Libby sighed, clearly exasperated with her father, “don't you know what day it is?”

It happened to be the day your kids hadn't stopped talking about for weeks: the beginning-of-summer pool party you and Aaron threw every year for your friends and his coworkers at the BAU.

Aaron tapped a finger against his chin, his brows furrowing as he thought. “Let's see… it's not Libby’s birthday, and it's not Jack’s birthday, it's not my birthday, and I don't think it's your mom’s birthday,” his last comment earned him a sarcastic look from you. “Hmm, what day could it be?”

You joined in on his little game, tapping against your chin as you pretended to think. “Perhaps it's Christmas?”

Jack narrowed his eyes at you. “It's too early in the year for Christmas,” he said matter-of-factly.

“You're right.” As you continued tapping your finger, you shot Aaron a knowing look, which he gladly returned. He could tell by the gleam in your eye exactly what you meant with that look. “Is it…”

Each of you grabbed a kid, tickling and eliciting little squeals and giggles. “Pool party day?!” the two of you shouted in sync.

Libby thrashed around in your arms, laughing and squirming, while Jack attempted to escape his father's arms. Moments like these were almost as rare as the ones with just you and Aaron, so you had to take advantage of them while you could.

“It's pool party day!” Libby squeaked, while Jack was laughing so hard, he could barely breathe.

Their smiles and laughs pulled at your heartstrings. You wondered when the universe decided to make your babies grow up, since it seemed like only yesterday when you had a newborn and a two-year-old.

Bringing yourself out of your nostalgic trance, you pulled yourself out of the bed, grabbing each kid by the hand. “Who wants to make pancakes while Daddy’s in the shower?”

—

Soon enough, all your friends had arrived and it felt like summer had too. Penelope and Spencer were currently entertaining all the kids, while the other men were crowded around the grill and the rest of the ladies were sitting poolside and working on their tans.

“You ever wonder if either of them will have kids?” JJ asked, nodding toward Penelope and Spencer.

“Spencer, a hundred percent,” Emily answered, like her statement was a fact. “Penelope, I'm not so sure.”

You were next to jump into the conversation, not even bothering to look up from your magazine. “Why do you ask, Jen?”

JJ let out a longing sigh. “It's been so long since we've had a baby around here.”

Putting the magazine down, you looked over to her, eyebrows creased. “Henry's only three. It hasn't been that long.”

“You don't miss having a baby at our get-togethers? Emily, where do you stand?”

“Don’t look at me,” Emily said with wide eyes. “If I didn't have to change another diaper for a lifetime, it still wouldn't be long enough.” She was the one person in the group that was rather indifferent to children, but babies, she'd rather not talk about or be around.

“Yeah, babies are nice,” you said, “but the pregnancy part? That's what I'd rather go a lifetime without.”

“Well, I'm sure there's one thing we can all agree on,” JJ snickered. “At least making the baby is fun.”

Emily tossed the pillow behind her back in the direction of her coworker, giggling all the while. “Jennifer!”

“What?” she laughed as she swatted the pillow away. “Am I wrong?”

You let out a small snicker yourself, shooting a glance in the direction of your husband, who was currently taking his turn in manning the grill.

Neither of your friends missed that look, both their mouths falling agape at the expression. “Spill!” they squealed in sync.

Penelope made her way over from the edge of the pool, her face overtaken by the brightest smile known to mankind. “I heard the ‘Someone has beans to spill’ variety of squeals and giggles. What am I missing?”

“Nothing,” you insisted with an eye roll.

Emily patted the edge of her chaise, welcoming Penelope over. “Come sit, we're gonna get it out of her. After all, two out of three of us are profilers.”

Your eyes narrowed at the brunette. “Do you forget that I also used to be a profiler before my kids came along?”

“Stop changing the subject,” Penelope said with a swat of her hand. “Spill your guts. What did I miss?”

“Well, we were talking about how it's been so long since anyone on the team, past or present, has had a kid,” Jennifer explained.

“And someone looked at her husband with that look,” Emily further explained.

You scoffed. “It was not that look.”

“It totally was,” your friends spoke in sync.

Penelope's face lit up like a child in a candy store, her mind clearly running rampant with ideas of what the look meant. “Oh my God, are you-”

“No!” you quickly interrupted, knowing exactly where that question was headed. “Not yet anyway,” you mumbled under your breath.

The three of them practically jumped out of their seats and gathered around you, all screams and smiles.

“We haven't even had the conversation yet!”

“But you're going to!” Penelope insisted.

You rolled your eyes, but internally, you couldn't be happier for the gift of friendship from these three women. Jennifer, the mom friend in more ways than one. Emily, the voice of reason who not-so-secretly had a funny side and always knew how to make you laugh. And Penelope, the perfect shoulder to cry on and perfect soul to confide in. Lucky didn't even begin to describe how you felt about knowing these women.

Suddenly, you found yourself— as Penelope had said— spilling your guts. “I don't know. This morning just felt… different. Like, maybe it wouldn't be so bad to have another baby around.”

The three of them flooded you with comments of love and support, hugs wrapping around you from each direction. Having another baby would be different, of course, but your friends were making sure that you knew it would be a good kind of different.

“I still have to get Aaron on board, so no one get too excited,” you reminded them.

JJ was already way ahead of you. “We've got the kids, Rossi and Derek have the grill. Don't worry about anything out here. You and your man deserve a moment of free time.”

“Just so we're clear,” you said, pointing a finger as if to further prove your point, “we are just going to talk. No funny business.”

Emily snickered. “Yeah, the same way you guys used to ‘talk’ on the jet?” Your cheeks heated to a bright red shade at her comment.

“Ew, Hotch is in the mile high club?!” Penelope practically screamed. Luckily, everyone else seemed too engrossed in conversation to hear her, but you were still mortified nonetheless.

“Okay, scratch what I said. I'm actually going inside to give myself a lobotomy.”

And with that, your friends were shouting in sync different variations of “Have fun!”

Then, with a smile on your face from both the joy of friendship and the love you had for your husband, you found yourself heading over to the grill and pulling Aaron away. His reaction was nothing short of laughter as you practically dragged him toward the house, his shirt nearly coming off with how hard you were tugging it.

Lips met skin as you closed the back door behind you. Aaron let out another chuckle, though he surely wasn't protesting your affection. “Woah, that look in your eyes tells me you're the one thinking about number three,” he commented, referencing your words from that morning.

“Well,” you said as your fingers started to trail under the hem of his dark gray tee shirt. With another kiss to his neck, you continued, “About that…”

taglist: @1234-angelika @lowsodiumfreaks67 @drayshadow @alexxavicry @cordyandbilliehavemyheart @the-lucky-ones311 @mercuryvapours @darkloverfox @sammyrenae68 @cherrycandle @asgardprincess97 @gh0stgurl @esposadomd @randomwriter1021 @eddieharrington @paintlavillered @lavhoes @rhyanishere @danielle143 @handsupforamiracle @ah-blossom @reidselle @dungeons-are-too-cold @louderfortheback @reidsbookclub @cwritesforfun @lover-of-books-and-tea

[i-heart-hxh]

I just want to say I appreciate you for staying positive about killugon. Admittedly, I’ve given up on them. Maybe it’s too many angsty fanfics or metas I’ve seen that basically make it seem like they’ll never be close again but it’s nice to see some people still going strong with this ship! Hopefully one day I can enjoy this ship again the way I used to. Currently everything I read about them in fandom just depresses me.

Hi anon!

I'm sad to hear the negativity has gotten to you to this degree! It actually surprises me how much the fandom seems to think what happened between them can't be fixed. I've been into HxH for almost 8 years now and as time has gone on and I've revisited the series and analyzed it deeply and discussed it with others, I've only grown more certain that things between them will be okay--assuming Togashi can reach that point in the series. And right now is a great time to be hopeful about the future of HxH, with Togashi working so actively on the series the past few months.

Sooo many of the messages in my inbox amount to "Is there really hope? Are Gon and Killua really going to reunite and reconcile? Or is their relationship hopelessly broken?" so even though I feel like a bit of a broken record addressing this topic so much, it seems like it's a topic people really want addressed, so here's some more of my thoughts. (Trying to make my answers on this topic at least a little different each time even if some repetition is inevitable...!)

Here's this post I made of some of the reasons I anticipate a Gon and Killua reunion and fixing their relationship. And here's this eye-opening analysis post of the separation, yet again, which also offers hope.

So much of HxH is about second chances. It's about how love and human connections transform people and make life worth living, no matter how painful and difficult it may be. At the end of Chimera Ant Arc, Meruem and Komugi (who are, by the way, absolutely parallels for Gon and Killua) find their meaning for living in each other, and decide to stay together even knowing the only way they can be together is in the afterlife. If you trace back this scene to all the factors and character moments that made it possible, it goes all the way back to Gon extending kindness to Killua and changing his life. I believe Gon and Killua are on a path wherein they will ultimately find their meaning in each other and vow to stay together again (albeit without the dying part).

Gon and Killua are the protagonists of the series, and they are emblematic of the themes of HxH. Looking at the themes of HxH and the worldview it presents, it doesn't make sense for Gon and Killua to experience this horrible traumatic incident as the young teens they are, then never ever get to fix and resolve it even though they're both clearly upset to have to leave each other and they definitely have more to say to each other. Why show them feeling dissatisfied and unhappy to separate if they'll never get a chance to fix things and be happy together again? Do you really think that's the direction Togashi wants to go in, with the focus of the series and the repeated emphasis on how the hope we can find in a cruel, painful world rests in the connections we have with the people around us?

It's meaningful that they make each other so happy and transformed each others' lives. It's meaningful that even now in merch and artwork and such, they're portrayed as a pair. It's meaningful that a huge chunk of the audience so desperately wants to see them together again, and I'm certain Togashi is well aware of that. These two are at the heart of what makes HxH so wonderful and moving.

It's okay to take a break from the ship if it's not bringing you joy. Sometimes I get frustrated by takes and interpretations I see about it, too, trust me. Ultimately, it's here for you whenever you want to revisit it, and there are plenty of fanworks with happy endings and reconciliation between them if you need something to tide you over until canon hopefully resolves things between them. But do what feels right for yourself--it's okay to focus on something fluffier and less complex if that's what you need for now. I hope eventually you can come to see it with more hope, as I have lots of hope for their future--and I don't think it's unwarranted at all. 💖

[tales-of-wocdes]

I know this question may sound strange (Since it was the typical question that popped into my head when I was about to go to sleep) What about going to the bathroom? I mean, I doubt the kidnappers would have cared about that if they didn't even have the dignity to feed Mc. Or maybe that's why they didn't have to go?

It still makes me wonder if Mc should wear a diaper?

Sorry if it's so weird!

It's fine, I have thought about it too... though I have not considered the diaper but before. Congrats,I suppose(?) :D

I will put the rest under the line since it is not all that nice.

-------------------------------------------

Basically, in what MC calls the void, the kidnappers just left them there chained up, nude and very much unable to go to the bathroom. This is the period when MC was not fed, but they were somewhat fed before being thrown into the void. So at first, they just soiled themselves. Eventually there was nothing to really come out. The magic from the chains kept them alive, and the cycle occasionally triggered body functions that would have at least felt like bathroom emergencies but by that point MC hardly cares.

Let's just say that when the Ancient arrived, the smell was not pleasant but that dude (talking about Sheo) is not easy to phase with a little mess. Or a lot of mess. Or a room full of mangled corpses... Or... well you get the point.

Diapers... might be wise. I don't imagine if such fine muscle control is something that MC has, though the healing baths have done stuff like heal things of course. To what degree? It focused a lot of the scars etc. (because infection, there was a lot of it), and then on the hands which the Ancients directed himself to avoid doing more damage (because injuries from magic overexposure should not be exposed to magic directly).

The healing baths are also self purifying so that took care of the mess (if the baths did not self purify, they would not be very healing).

Muscles are still quite fuc*ed.

Now do I want to write about MC sh*tting themselves after the first proper and nice meal they can remember? Now that I think about it, I have a pretty good spot where it could go.... Not that I necessarily want to do it... but there is certainly opportunity there already... I mean the topic of almost sh*itting oneself has gracefully been brought up by someone in silver armor right at the beginning of C3... and I have planned for MC to think about not wanting to soil themselves again (with a reference to the void).

Yeah... I'll get back to you all about this :D. I mean it does make sense that something like this would happen and there is a certain level of grimy and dirty reality-check feel in writing a scene about it. If I do, it will not be something that is forced upon the reader (similarly to the haircut coping scene in C2).

Updated thoughts in a later post.

[thatscarletflycatcher]

can you tell me what your thesis is about if you're willing to share??

Hi!!! Yes, of course! I need to go over and over the description of this thing in order to turn in a precise and compelling project for the board (attempt #3 at finishing this cursed degree, here we go! *sobs*).

My area of interest has always been Medieval Philosophy, Metaphysics, Ethics, Virtue Ethics and Aristotelian Ethics-Politics. My very first attempt was writing something on Metaphysics (transcendentals) then Ethics Metaphysics (the role of intellectual intuition in moral reasoning in Aristotelian Ethics, Book VI of the Nicomachean Ethics)... Neither worked mainly because a problem when talking metaphysics is... well, there's few words to use and little to say and I have always been a very succinct academic writer (yeah, I know, but it is true).

When I reached acceptance about that XD I moved on to trying something about Aristotelian Ethics-politics. Alasdair MacIntyre is a key author in that area, and he's a favorite of mine because in agreement or disagreement he's thought provoking, he has a sense of humor, and he's a hater of the fun kind. I know it isn't proper to call or pick academic authors because they are fun, but hey, he is. He is a curmudgeonly old man (present tense: he's 95), who kind of manages to disagree with everyone because he hates being put in boxes, but he's also always been very willing and open to listen to other voices and change his opinions on things.

For example, the refinement and reformulation of many ideas between his After Virtue (1981) and his Dependent Rational Animals (1999) came (declaredly) through a reading of certain feminist theory, which brought to the foreground to him how little academic Ethics had focused until that point on disability and caretaking.

He's also always been a versatile author in the sense of breaching the barriers between disciplines for the purposes of philosophical inquiry -After Virtue has a great deal to say about Sociology, and Dependent Rational Animals talks a lot about dolphins XD.

I decided I wanted to write something about this guy, but I got stuck because if you are writing on an author specifically, alone, how do you manage to write something that isn't like, textbook regurgitation? Theoretically I know it is possible, but it was very paralyzing to me all the same.

Enter Elizabeth Gaskell with a steel chair.

I love Gaskell dearly for many different reasons. I love the way in which she writes nuanced, believable, textured characters. I love the treatment of grief in her work, I love the compassion she has for her characters, I love how she makes interesting, central, and natural relationships between parents and children. I love that she's versatile too, and that she saw writing as a vocation, and how she manages to talk about so many different things in a novel without making it come across as didactic or preachy. But one very special thing that has called my attention is her specific interest in communities, and community building through friendship.

Very often her "proposals" of "solutions" to social problems, specifically in her industrial novels, have been dismissed as the utopian sugary pap of learning to share and be nice of someone completely out of touch with reality, but I think those readings are fundamentally missing the framework that makes her ideas make sense and be solid.

As an aside, I feel like that ungenerous reading is kinda rich when Hard Times and its "imagination to power!" concept or Shirley and its marriage solution keep getting praise to this day. You know. It comes across as a bit double standard-y, if you ask me.

But back to topic, guess who did consider friendship, understood as the ties that unite virtuous people in the pursuit of the good for themselves and their fellow men, the very foundation of society, and mankind as essentially social, and therefore for ethics and politics to be a continuum? That's right, my boy Aristotle!

And to that, between other things, when talking about the Aristotelian tradition of Ethics Politics, MacIntyre adds teleological narrative as the element that frames and anchors virtue ethics in this scheme. What is more, he dedicates A CHUNK of chapter 16 of After Virtue to Jane Austen, and why he thinks she's "the last key representative" of this tradition (which has sprung a non negligible amount of scholarship on Austen and virtue ethics).

And I'm persuaded that Gaskell is a significant successor to Austen in this way too, and that the certain sympathy people often perceive between them comes from this aspect (because, in all honestly, it's clearly not about tone or style).

So that's the aim/core of my thesis: to present/analyze/contextualize Gaskell's work within the framework of the Aristotelian Ethics-Politics tradition as understood by MacIntyre.

Of course because I am, in Nelly Dean's description of Edgar Linton, a venturesome fool, this is clearly very ambitious, and I am making it worse for myself by doing things like harvesting circa 350 titles for a thesis that won't require more than 50 and that cannot be more than 80 pages long. The clown shoes can be heard from the other side of the world no this has nothing to do with the fact that I don't think I'll ever get a masters or a PhD where I might be able to develop this concept beyond a very summary overview of N&S and maybe Cranford and My Lady Ludlow if I'm lucky.

And that's how I should have sent something to my advisor three weeks ago (I haven't yet) and how I'm half agony half hope about the whole thing, because I'm scared and anxious and full on rowing through Nutella executive function wise. Maybe I should get a rubber duck.

[sentanixiv]

Drunken Deeds

@emmithar-blog shared with me a scenario from a dream that I could not resist writing, so... blame her?

Dreamt of drunken Arthur running inside modern store where he keeps trying to lasso the little kiddy horse ride and shouting 'he's getting away!' each time he misses.

Modern AU; Tilly summons Hosea to help sort a situation with an inebriated Arthur.

cw: alcohol/drunkenness, grief/mourning, child loss

Drunken Deeds

Lord knew judgment weren't the reason Hosea went for him. Sinners like them, well. They knew better than to throw stones in glass houses and his being the fine, crystalline structure it was? Made it clear, in every ironic sense, that claiming piety wouldn't do more than put a new window in what had to be a solid wall. Only so many times even a silver-tongued shyster like himself could patch up the fractures and make the illusion of it being whole.

No judgment, then, spurred him into action when Tilly caught up with him between the aisles of books and across from the jewellery counter, his eye on a lucrative little piece kept displayed under lock and key. Had himself an angle, a real nice thought to go with the wilted widower, seeking something fine to honour his late wife. In his pocket, tucked in a velvet bag, he had the cheap glass duplicate ready to switch when the attendant turned to fetch him a tissue as his old eyes misted up with fond memory of dear, sweet Bessie - sadness summoned at the drop of a hat in his line of work, the years having dulled the ache of loss.

"It's Arthur," Tilly said in a hushed voice, looking over her shoulder to ensure no one peered to close at them.

"Arthur?" Hosea shook his head and set a gentle hand on her arm. "No, Arthur's not here, my dear," he assured her. "Dutch has him covered." In a sense. Keeping Arthur from trouble were a two-man job at the best of times, but with how close the young man'd become to the whiskey bottle of late, well. It meant a certain degree of supervision needed to keep him from drowning and it weren't his lifeguard shift quite yet.

Tilly fidgeted with the hem of her jacket, a lovely flowing yellow piece which lent her a sense of innocence that the world'd otherwise stolen from her sweet soul. "That's just it," she insisted. "Me and Mary-Beth both heard him holler and she's there right now, trying to talk some sense into him."

"I'm afraid Miss Gaskill will run out of air before making any headway," he said. "Boy never did possess a lick of sense." Hosea gave her a crooked, confident smile - something to ease the tension that tangled her fingers together worriedly. He patted her arm gently, knowing that none of Miss Grimshaw's ladies aimed to cause a fuss when the matriarch weren't around to cause it for them. They were observers, sharp-eyed and sharp-witted, able to find the smallest opportunity and make it lucrative when the airs were peaceful.

That worried him some, then, that Tilly spoke of Arthur and hollering, a disruptive shift to her subtle efficiency. He paused, head tilted back with some consideration, then nodded as though his decision made - one already decided when she insisted on it being Arthur. Never had a son, him nor Bessie, and with his wife gone to heaven, well, Arthur were the best son he could hope for, so he'd always be ready to go after him. "Why don't I go speak with him? Then you and Mary-Beth can continue on your day."

Many things existed which Tilly Jackson could handle and he had no doubt that she'd've done herself justice here if he hadn't been around, but ability didn't mean comfort, nor the confidence needed to snap Arthur back off whatever track he'd gone down. The man wouldn't never hurt no lady, of that they all knew, but he could be right ornery and a headache all the same. Ruinous for a lovely shopping afternoon, or for a scouting foray hid amidst feminine wiles.

She smiled, a bright ray of sunshine and relief, and took his arm when he offered it, guiding them towards the back of the department store. The deeper they went, the more apparent it became that the ladies hadn't made the call to fetch him lightly. Hollering he heard loudly, and the plaintive requests from store employees doing their best to stop the chaos that'd started unfolding. He could hear Mary-Beth's voice pitched louder than the lady preferred, asking Arthur to let things go and come walk with her. A last-ditch appeal to those few gentlemanly manners he kept hidden beneath the gruff.

Then, as they came around the final corner, Hosea understood the extent of disruption his not-quite-son'd gone and done. Toys lay scattered everywhere, the aisle one for toddler treasures, and Arthur stood in the midst of it. Swayed more like it, glassy-eyed and clearly drunker than a skunk bathed in moonshine. He, in turn, faced off with a truly formidable opponent that seemed to have him bested: A small horse on four wheels, the sort that one might give a toddler to scoot around on in the house.

"Ye- You ain't gettin' no away, y'bastard," Arthur muttered, words slurred together as he readied up a lasso made from skip rope. "I ain't- You ain't-" The effort of talking too much, he raised up the lasso and cast out, missing the horse by a good foot. "Dang-- Stupid-- Horse, stop! He's gettin' away!"

Hosea gave Tilly one final, gentle pat on the arm and stepped away, an understanding sinking deep into his bones to what was going on. Three weeks ago had been the phone call that severed the faintest threads of hope for a life away from his past. Three weeks since Arthur broke his phone by punching it and his fist into the wall until something broke. The phone could be replaced, but his knuckles still bore bruises and half-healed scrapes from repeated impact against the brick wall. Three weeks since the young man'd been sober and, based on Hosea's own experiences with grief and liquor, likely three months or more until he'd return to it.

He held up both hands, calling up the attention of the employees and passersby that were staring wide-eyed as Arthur tried and failed once more to lasso the toy horse. "Ladies and gentlemen, I implore you to forgive my son," he said, voice one of authority and apology both. "Things have been quite difficult of late and, as you see, he doesn't have much sense to be dealing with it sober. My humblest apologies for the disruption - and I assure you, any damaged merchandise will be paid for." This he said with a hand over his heart, a promise he could later wheedle them out of. "If you could all just move along, I can promise there will be no further disruptions."

Mary-Beth, looking rather relieved, took that as her sign to start shuffling gawwkers away, while Tilly took a rather more blunt approach against the stubborn few clingers that remained. "Shame on you, with the phone? Would your mamma want you recorded when you're in need?" She shook her head and the filming rubberneck drew back, interest curbed and phone lowered. "Why don't I help you delete that, so no one needs know better, hmm?"

Content that the ladies had that part of the process handled, Hosea approached Arthur, who'd sunk down to his knees and held the skip rope tightly between his hands. "Okay, Arthur," he offered, calm and steady, as he crouched down. "Why don't we get up now, leave these folks to their day."

Arthur blinked slowly, focus broken from his horse nemesis, and looked up when Hosea offered him a hand. Bloodshot eyes, shadowed by weeks of drinking and despondency, flashed recognition, than the heaviness of understanding that he'd gone and screwed something up. "What're… 'Sea?" he mumbled, looking down at the skip rope, around at the toys.

There'd been a part of him that hoped to get Arthur out of there before he realized quite where he had ended up, and that part must've lost its bet with fate and luck. Hosea did not sigh, nor did he judge, as he let his knee rest on the ground, providing a barrier between Arthur and the few store employees left to deal with his mess. "That's right, Arthur, it's me," he assured him, reaching to gently pull the lasso from his hands. "Why don't you and I go for a walk?"

"That- Dutch said." Arthur shook his head, grasping blindly through the fog of intoxication for whatever sense had led him here. "Dutch said I oughta walk… get some air. Some space. Be good for me."

Hosea bit back the desire to curse, to pull out his phone and send Dutch a sharp text reminding him that Arthur needed folk around him, not to be sent away. Foolish, prideful desire to go off on one of his plans no doubt spurring Dutch to encourage the boy outside the confines of their safe house. "I think you've had plenty space for today," he replied, setting said the skip rope and shifting to haul one arm over his shoulders. "Let's get you up."

Arthur tried, lord did he, but he must've found and drank the good whiskey by the way his legs kept turning to rubber and dragging them down. Then, halfway through a third attempt, Hosea heard a small, choked sob and the man's full weight pulled them both to the ground.

"S'gotten away, 'Sea," Arthur muttered, miserable and hoarse as he stared at the little toy horse. "Don't- It don't matter hows far I try, he's…"

"Gone, Arthur." Small and softly spoken, for all the ache it awoke in his chest. He let the man slump there a moment, shielded him from prying eyes so the tears that tracked down his face had no witness to haunt him later. The mourning, the loss - he knew this pain. From going through it himself with Bessie, drunken and cussing for months on end. Now watching Arthur go through it, his heart shattered because it ain't never been true love with him nor Eliza, no. But Isaac? Weren't no love more true than that father to his son.

Lord knew judgment weren't the reason Hosea worked hard to get Arthur on his feet, thanking Mary-Beth when she came back and offered her assistance. And judgment wouldn't never be the result of seeing Arthur broke down like this, shattered since the day he got the call, the day he'd learned his son'd been taken from life. Judgment had no place here, never would - Hosea'd make sure of that, a small consolation for a young man dealt one of life's worst hands.

[angevinyaoiz]

Haha thanks for appreciating my art! 

Yeah, it’s funny because I think Henry II/Young Henry is objectively some of the BEST lesser known Dadson dynamics out there that’s sadly underexplored—you have political bedsharing, “the son and the father are one,” Co-Crowning ceremonies (There should be more dadson AUs that steal the concept of associative kingship) bodies and souls bound together, guilt, shame, divorce, the Love and Fear of faetc etc… 

the only unfortunate thing Is that dadson is generally not something I get super excited about personally. >_< I can see the visions and recommend them but it’s not really what gets me going….I’ll leave that to the pros (tho I DID have some art concepts here and there in mind but who knows if I’ll ever get to it..)

Anyways, back to the main subject—for memory lane look at these, the very FIRST art I did of him I’m pretty sure! Alongside Frederick Barbarossa and Richard. You can tell I was just working directly off random ref images without knowing anything lool

Also this one! Early art. Where he’s extremely shota. I still think this is cute, but it doesn’t look like HIM to me.

I still like these pieces…I had fun with them. I miss putting him in the historically inaccurate green caftan

Philip’s design overall has been an interesting process! I think my initial designs for the Plantagenets have refined over time, but they more or less stayed the same from the beginning, while his was kind of an evolution. It’s a bit hard for me to look at my old Blondelippe art because it’s so different from how I think about and draw him now, lol.  I was initially influenced by a few things:

there were a couple of fanarts/drawings of a Philip that was blonde, so I ran with that .

I think I might have initially mixed up art with that of Philip IV Le Bel, who has had portrayals where he’s a Pretty Blond

In some medieval artworks especially in later centuries, there are portraits of him that look blonde but only because of the stylistic conventions.

Also, my initial fandommy delusion interpretation of his character (when i was mostly dabbling from the TLIW stuff only) was influenced by the certain BL and shoujo archetype that pops up that usually consist of blonde, french-coded characters with childhood sexual trauma who are also guarded and conniving and sometimes straight up evil. so I thought it would be fun to run with that, and also be an obvious visual signifier that I was working in more a Yaoi Delusion state than a Realistic Historical state.

I ended up kind of veering away from this as I started to do more research and realized I was a lot more interested in reading about historical details. I was less familiar with Philip, but I had fun reading and getting to know his character I think a lot more in a way that I liked. My art is influenced by my aesthetic fujo preferences, but I also like a sense of background knowledge and consistency in my brain. For me I wanted the Philip, both the historical philip and the rpf dolly i’ve reconstructed, to feel more specific to me. There are already plenty of conniving blondes out there (I didn’t want people to mistake it for an APH France…lol) so kind of designing him as brunette with the goofy, severe bangs (influenced by his statues, and by the 19th century portrait) was a fun design. It also worked a lot better for black and white comics, like in “In Exchange for Honor,” And as well serves as a nice visual contrast since I draw the brothers + Henry usually as all varying degrees of blonde/redhead… THAT’s for Yaoi aesthetic reasons lol

I’m actually not sure if there IS any info on his hair color in real life, and tbh I guess i’m not interested in that (also he balded so it becomes irrelevant). I think it’s fun because I can draw him very pretty for my delusions if I want but also has a kind of dorkiness to him that I think is extremely important to lean into. I also feel like, I wanted a design that could look distinct and cute, but also could look more Adult if I wanted to, I draw him a kid a lot but I wanted the vibes to translate into older designs as well.

A big part that stands out to me reading about the historical Philip is the contrast between how Serious and Sacral the Frankish kingship is how important Philip was as the god-given heir blah blah blah, but also with how WEIRD he was. Making serious and laudable logistical decisions and policies one moment, but also making baffling and confusing decisions in his personal life and relationships. He’s kind of a mess in a fun way, it leaves a lot for the imagination (and evil imagination) to wonder wtf was up with him. In a way, even though the TLIW richphil dubcon backstory is Completely Made Up, to me I feel it doesn’t feel completely out of place thematically, since to me there’s something inherently sus/erotic about the status of purity/sacralness and the transgression from childhood vulnerability that is necessary to emerge into true power…Anyway I could write more Yaoi Essays but this post is meant to be about aesthetics.

It is impossible to escape the influence of TLIW Timothy Dalton in attitude, even if not in aesthetic, since he is probably the only major portrayal of Philip in the anglosphere I can think of. I feel that influence definitely comes through unavoidably, although I also try to round him out a bit when I write him. TLIW!Philip (in both movies and all plays) is showing him behaving at a very specific point in time; he starts off being condescended to, then exits the film smug and unscathed. It’s a big contrast from even modern Philip portrayals like in Confessions de l’Histoire where he’s more of a whiner and Richard’s punching bag.  

In The Devil’s Crown, Christopher Gable in The Devil’s Crown is a bit more subtle, and follows a more subdued and calculating Philip who grows into his person over time. I like him a lot because he’s very stiff and formal compared to Henry and Richard’s expressive gesticulating, but he holds a lot of disdain and rage inside him.  I think his portrayal in TDC definitely has influenced me a lot, I love how he glowers at Richard during all their encounters. It’s both very serious but also kind of cute…Also I’m entranced by his ballet photos. In a way they kind of cycle all the way back to that ethereal kind of “getting bewitched in the woods” unnerving shoujo feeling that I was originally getting a whiff of originally.

FUNNY ENOUGH, I feel I even still get some influence from….Solomon’s Crown of all things.. I make fun of it of course for its uwufication but for all my haterisms natasha kind of cooked with leaning into the weirdly ageregressiony Pure Special Little Boy feeling that pops up fetishistically in that book (in denial of course), the only difference for me is that I feel like that fetishistic aspect can be used deliciously for Evil (“purity” can be weaponized, after all) character traits rather than making a character Boring as hell

[canmom]

more relevantly to my actual life...

today I went down to the shipbuilding museum in Govan, on the site of the old Fairfields Shipyard. in Victorian times and much of the 20th century, this area was a massive industrial hub, a huge line of shipyards that built all kinds of ships from ocean liners to warships and oil tankers. the industrial history - how they built the ships, how it shaped the local architecture that includes the house I live in today, who these people like John Elder in the statues were, was pretty fascinating. but the broader narrative was a curious one.

Govan's history has a curious intertwining of political philosophies. Scotland has a certain degree of sectarianism, albeit not Northern Ireland bad, and Govan falls into the box of being a loyalist area, which still manifests in various traditions like the 'Pride of Govan' parade (which I encountered mostly as a loud clattering sound). there is a string of nationalist pride in the history told by the museum, when they talk about warships and so on, how at one point two-thirds of the world's ships were built in Britain and many of them right here.

but equally, it's a very working class area and it has a real socialist history. sure, I don't have to walk too far to find a statue of John Elder, the industrialist, and another of his wife who set up the park opposite the shipyard - but at the train station there is also a statue of local hero Mary Barbour, who led a successful rent strike during the First World War's crackdown on labour, and she too gets her space in the museum. some of the museum exhibits concerned the sort of labour history of the place - the strict seven-minute toilet breaks and history of lethal accidents.

the Fairfield company did not survive the second half of the 20th century, and went under a few decades back, leaving the shipyard facilities to change hands a few times. most recently, after having its future be in question for many years, the Fairfields shipyard was taken over by BAE Systems to make naval ships, such as destroyers, patrol boats and segments of aircraft carriers. at the museum this mostly seems to be treated as a good thing, part of the story of the 2010s economic revitalisation of the area. and I can imagine this shipyard does, in fact, employ a lot of people. the hangar-like building they've just erected there (to build some sort of ship) is a looming symbol of the military-industrial complex that I see whenever I am out in Govan.

and yet, it is also not something that seems to sit easily with people here. a local newsletter reported on a Palestine protest outside the shipyard and the harsh police response, in terms that heavily favoured the protestors. even if the shipyard employs a lot of people for the sake of the country's 'interests' (seriously they put that on the big recruitment poster), I don't get the impression I'm surrounded by nationalists.

actually pretty much all the people I have met in Glasgow have been awesome. there's all sorts of little social spaces and music groups and libraries and independent film festivals and so on around here, and so much nerd and weeb shit over in the city centre. I feel like I might be able to develop a sense of being part of a place that I never really managed to find in London (more on me than the Londoners, really).

come to think of it, there is also plentiful graffiti around town - most of it is of course tags, there is a really thriving tagging culture - but here are there are political ones, in most cases actually about Israel and Palestine. the 'free palestine' ones are not surprising and a welcome sight, but I do scratch my head at the one local (I assume) who went round drawing Israel's flag in blue pen and writing 'IDF' on surfaces, which seems off-message insofar as it comes off a lot more like a gang symbol than a reference to a nice clean professional military...

I still haven't managed to see the Govan Stones, the other big piece of History in Govan. the old church is closed, and won't reoopen until the summer. still, it's really cool that this museum exists, and I definitely recommend swinging by (entry is free). they have see some huge model ships, insane amounts of videos, and a pretty cool 3D visualisation of the evolution of the area, and the attendant was really keen to chat with me and my friend and tell us about the exhibits lmao

[theyhavetakenovermylife]

What are your favorite things about the turtles that you like about them individually starting with Leonardo and then Donatello and then Michelangelo and then Raphael

My favorite things about the individual turtles (or things I associate with them)

Warnings: Somewhat emotional, talks of bullying by adults.

All Turtles:

I feel like this is very important to mention first, as it speaks a lot about my love for the turtles in general. All of these reasons are very much personal, and have very little to do with the turtles personalities, and more memories I have with them and other people in my life.

I have been a TMNT fan ever since kindergarten. I was 2 years old when 2003 turtles first came on television, so when I started in kindergarten at 3, they were already pretty established not just for me, but all of the other kids in kindergarten, especially the boys. And that leads us to another important point - I was a tomboy when I was young, and to a certain degree I still am to this day. I hated pink, and would scream and yell if I was put into a dress. But I did enjoy “boy clothes”, and I did ask my mom to only buy me “boy clothes”, so she did. I also played with action figures or played “rough” with the Barbie dolls, and my closest friends were all boys, or girls that somewhat understood my way of playing.

Now, being a tomboy is nowhere special or anything abnormal, but in the kindergarten I was in, the adults not only saw it as abnormal and concerning. I was never bullied by the kids in my kindergarten, but I was by the adults. They sang songs that made me cry, and they tried to force me to play with toys a certain way. At times I even tried to run away from my kindergarten, going so far as to jump the fence and run home. It got so bad that my dad, who at the time worked at the city council, had to step in and threaten them with legal action, just to make them stop singing the song that continuously made me cry.

But throughout all of this, every high and low in kindergarten, I clung onto TMNT. It was how I could play with both boys and girls, and became my first hyper fication. It even led to a description of me that the other kids would use when describing me to the new kinds; “This is (...). She wears boy clothes, hates Barbie dolls and loves Ninja Turtles”.

TL;DR, TMNT became my comfort obsession during bullying from adults in kindergarten, and it has stuck ever since, coming back during my depressive episode in 2023.

Leonardo:

Leo has always been my favorite ninja turtle. My favorite color was and is still blue, and I like to think he had something to do with it. He was the turtle I would dress up as at Fastelavn, and I really looked up to his views on honor and responsibilities. Back then I was the oldest child in the family, and I took my role as big sister very seriously, often seeking to protect my little brother.

I will even go so far as to say that Leonardo was my first fictional crush. I still remember watching 2003 in the living room, and getting somewhat irritated that he wasn’t real. Even more irritated when people had to bring up that none of the turtles were real. Way to kill the vibe for a 3 - 5 year old, lol.

In kindergarten, I would hide the Leonardo figure, or just walk around with it in my pocket. I clung to it, and got really sad when someone wanted to take it, since they were playing with the other turtles. Not long ago my brother dug through our old toys, and found the Leo figure my parents got me when I was young. It is now sitting in a bowl next to a Barbie doll I won at drag bingo, lol.

To this day Leo is still my favorite. I resonate with him and his struggles quite a lot. Each version of him always struck something with me, providing me with some sense of comfort. Maybe it is because he wants to protect, and that made me feel protected? Or he seems very driven by rules and morality, in a way that I do too. If I don’t, I get really anxious, so it’s nice to see someone else do it.

Donatello:

My love for Donatello is relatively new. I’ve always loved him, but for the little version of me, he was often forgotten. He was the last figure I would react for, and was the last turtle who’s name I remembered, often referred to as “the purple one”. Generally, in the kindergarten I went to, it was the fewest who showed interest in Donatello, always fighting over the other turtles.

However, as an adult, I’ve come to admire Donatello much more. It took quite some time before I came to realize the importance of him, and I would like to say that Rise played a big part of that. Up until then, I remembered Donnie as being shown as the “least coolest” (which I know now is very much not true”.

With Rise Donnie being coded with autism, my brother suddenly had a turtle to mirror with. While I had Leonardo in my childhood, my brother now had Donatello in his teenage years, and to be honest, that means a lot to me. To me, Donnie has now become a character that symbolizes late but powerful blooming. My brother is first now finding himself, and he turned 20 a month ago, so when he tells me that Rise Donnie makes him feel represented, and showed him that someone like him could be loved, it really touched me.

MM Donnie is currently the turtle in the keychain I’ve attached to my backpack, and is the turtle that has made my brother interested in TMNT. I sat with my almost 2 year old niece, and she noticed the Donnie on my backpack. She started to play with it, and it very quickly became a great bonding experience. So to me, Donnie is closely tied with personal growth and bonding.

Michelangelo:

I’ve come to realize that I have much more in common with Michelangelo than I first thought I had. First of all, he is the orange turtle, and I’m a natural redhead, so we match. Second of all is ADHD. It wasn’t until I was 21 that I learned I have ADHD, and just before I learned how to tackle it, I was hit with the death of my grandma, and had to quit work due to stress which turned into a pretty bad depression.

Those that have read my Bayverse Children Series, know that I’ve called Mikey’s daughter Sunny and his son Luis, both names that I connect with ideas of the sun. Sunny because it sounds like the sun, and Luis because it makes me think of king Louis the XIV, aka, the sun king. That is because I see Mikey as a very happy guy. Obviously, he is not happy all the time, and when we do experience him being sad or mad, we know that something is very wrong. But he generally has a very upbeat personality that reminds me of the sun, or maybe even just sunlight.

If Leo is the comfort and a personality I can see myself in, and Donnie is personal growth and bonding, then I see Mikey as the light at the end of the tunnel. An friendly and sympathetic person that wants the best for you, and will help you on the road to recovery. That’s at least how I see him and his brothers, as imaginary friends that have wished me the best.

Doesn’t hurt that he is a cat person. Every moment or scene with Mikey talking to or helping a cat, very much reminded me of me and my own cat. Me and my cat was just as close as Mikey and all of his cats are. RIP Mini💔

Raphael:

Leo is my comfort and the turtle I mirror in, Donnie is growth and bonding, Mikey is a helping hand through the darkness, then Raph is personal drive and passion.

In kindergarten, Raphael was my second favorite turtle, but I do remember that he was many of my friends' favorit. During my internship at a different kindergarten, I learned that he was all of the kids' favorit. And honestly, I see why. To me, he is the stereotypical young kid that doesn’t know how to express his emotions in a healthy way, leaving them with a lot of strong emotions that only keeps building and building, until it reaches a boiling point. And I’m pretty sure that a lot of people can see themselves in that.

Like many people we meet in our life, Raph has a really hard exterior, but is truly a really emotional guy on the inside. I think many kids see themselves in his emotional outbursts, and understand the frustration and build up he can feel. But that doesn’t make him less of a good person.

At my internship, I learned that one of the kids from last year that is now in school (I never met him), was actually named Raphael. I’ve told this before, but he was a big TMNT fan and would carry plastic sais to kindergarten. I later learned from the adult working there, that he also had the personality of Raphael, and was in some ways just as “hot tempered”. He had a hard time communicating with the other kids, as his emotions would often get in the way, causing him to lash out due to his frustration. And yup, he did throw one of his fake sais ast one of the kids once. But like the turtle, it didn’t make him any less good. From what I’ve been told, he was very passionate about whatever he did, and was very good at involving other kids in whatever he was playing or doing. He has obviously had a big impact on said kindergarten, as even a year after he left, they are still talking about him. And honestly, I get it. If his anything like the turtle Raphael, he is obviously lovable, even if he could be a bit of a hard nail sometimes.

[strangevampy]

yapping :3

i know i come back to post like once a year, but i thought i'd talk about how college is going and everything going on in my life. i know damn well nobody here cares (not trying to be all emo, i mean like- eh you get what i mean..) and- idk, too much shit has gone on. firstly, i havent exactly graduated from high school yet, im in this dual enrollment program, but i dont actually have any high school classes to take anymore? if that makes sense? im at this community college full time, and only go in 4/5 days out of the school week for like 1 hour each day (im off on fridays). I think it's really nice, and it'll put me ahead once i transfer to the college i actually want to attend (A&T!! Aggie pride or whatever lol). My mom wants me to pursue a master's degree, so i dont see why i shouldnt. Also, I want a degree in Computer Science, and I really want to be a game/software developer. I know people say 'AI will taker over all our jobs!!! you all will be out of a career!!' I.. don't exactly fear that, but, only time will tell I guess... (TW for SA talk after this, so if u don't like that, feel free to scroll.) secondly, I was in some relationship that I ended around May and i didn't really find out he- violated me, i guess, until after I ended it. I was telling my friends about a certain incident where I went it to give him a small kiss on the lips before leaving school and he took it further than I wanted and it really bothered me, and they told me that it was SA, and that realization sent me down a bit of a spiral. In addition, we used to make out and stuff in the school stairwell (bad idea, i know, dumb shit..), but after I ended this and got with my current boyfriend, whenever we were in a stairwell alone together, even if we're just walking through, I got- scared? almost? like an overwhelming urge to keep my distance and watch him, and- i really didn't like that. ive already had too many encounters with boys talking about my body in ways i didn't appreciate, and after i broke up with him he sent me some lame ass fucking apology about how 'he feels so guilty :(' like i would care. idk. i feel like im going through some 5 stages of grief LMAO. i've been working through it, but it still feels weird. bleh, idk >.< uhh some other stuff... i identify as goth (i like the term babybat so i prefer that lol) and started leaning more towards that kind of style and culture and expressing myself more freely now. i LOVE androgynous style, and basically aim to confuse people on whether im male or female in the near future. ummm uhhh i dunno :3 im more into video games and stuff, i rlly like honkai star rail and project sekai (ace attorney and sally face will always be my comfort games though) and uhhh idk what else to add. to anyone reading, please remember to love. uts damn near 3 am and idk what im saying anymore but pls show those around u that u love and care for them. you never know what a person is going thru, and your beautiful soul may just make more than a difference than u know. thanks for listening to my schizo ramblings.,.. goobnight....

[captainjacklyn]

Making my first DOL post today..random game I got into, it's so easy to get invested.

So here is my PC, don't be fooled- that's a boy he just likes his hair long cause an someone told him it looked nice.

Kinda felt like giving him a small description, how he views most of the LIs and other characters, maybe him as a person idk this really feels like a shitpost. I only recommend the game if you aren't a minor and have a strong ass stomach cause I almost vomited the first time.

!!TW!! mentions of SA, blood, gore, violence, human experiments, death, abuse (both mentally and physically), psychopathic behavior, murder, mutation, stalking, if I missed any other triggers please inform me immediately so that I may fix my mistakes. If any of these topics make you uncomfortable, I advise you to please ignore this post and find something else more suitable. !!TW!!

Degrees of Lewdity :

APPEARANCE :

The slender young man slowly stares back at you and returns your greeting. "Oh..it's you." his name is Elias, he's a resident at the local orphanage, he won't talk back if you try anything. Just avoid taking off his gloves unless he allows it.

PROFILE/MAIN INFORMATION :

Species - human, any hybrid Occupation - student Affiliation - orphanage, oxford street school Age - 18 years old Height - 178 cm Birthday - 04th of April Gender - male (can morph his system into changing sexe so female too) Marital Status - Dating Sydney, Avery's side hoe Zodiac Sign - Aries Best Subject - English, History Interests - Cross dressing, sunbathing, napping, gardening, makeup

PERSONALITY :

Elias is an unfazed and blunt yet somewhat gentle young adult who quietly cares for others from afar. At first glance, many would think that he only speaks up when others wish to converse with him, even then his answers are short with little depth. Though it is stated that his confidence becomes much more evident once he gets comfortable, Elias can tease his peers and act playful. Furthermore, he will occasionally invite friends to spend some time with him. Whether it be taking a nap together, walking along the beach shore or reading in the library. He can crave company and has no shame in asking for someone's attention.

Not only so, but angering/provoking Elias is a feat itself, he usually avoids confrontation by walking away and even when things get out of hand, the young man will still struggle for the sake of running off. Though reaching a certain state of insanity, he looses all control of reason and will attack the offender without limit. This livid persona gives him an animalistic instinct to kill, relentlessly harming the individual(s) who previously caused his senses to go a-wire. The way he does this can get more gruesome depending on the previously inflicted physical or mental wounds on Elias, from forcing himself on them to tearing their skin open and eventually creating a gash deadly enough to give them a slow painful end. He stops at nothing until he's satisfied with how much suffering his abuser lives through.

InGameAU/Canon

Note - The statements above is largely different to how he canonically behaves. I have a knack for 'book accurate' vs 'show representation' and wanted a similar concept for my character.

In the game itself, Elias is much less of a victim and instead finds himself to be in constant control (I've been wary of any nonconsensual interactions, making a save before every choice that could lead to gr*pe or getting..y'know v*red). He is manipulative, defiant and easily angered. Belittling any passerby who leaves him a crude remark, regarding his more manipulative tendencies, this does result in him being a bit of a player.

One ↦ Robin can only have a specific percentage of confidence, preferably leaning towards a hundred but never fully. There is the excessive guilt-trip technique, Elias takes care of him from time to time and the moment Robin says something that could waver the white haired boy's sense of control he half scolds him by reminding Robin of everything he does just for him.

Two ↦ Sydney's purity = max level at all times. He doesn't want to deal with the possibility of having a bratty little *sshole follow him around everywhere for s*x. Especially not if the church proceeds to act up along with his corrupted state. The two of them are dating in game, Elias mainly uses him for protection at school, status wise at least. Due to Elias' line of work and desperate need to pay off Bailey, my PC cheats on Sydney practically everyday, having intercourse with multiple NPCs who offer a good price in exchange for his body as well as acting as Avery's sugar baby.

Despite this, he does care, I promise that he does. But his way of thinking would be similar to Alicent Hightower from House of The Dragon. He isn't narcissistic and has never once acted that way, however Elias is heavily twisted by loneliness abandonment issues go brr, anxiety and peer pressure (e.g robin getting punished for not paying his rent, Bailey possibly selling him off to the farm, etc..). This causes him to appear collected and normal at one moment and then unexpectedly go nuts.

BACKGROUND :

Elias' past follows most of the in-game's PC backstory, he was raised in the orphanage by Bailey and supposedly lived within that town his whole childhood. Another NPC who is only present in Elias' story is Monika, an older sister-like figure who was also raised in the orphanage but soon adopted and taken away. She is said to have learned to read rather quickly and many youngsters would come to her for stories, including Robin. Monika was especially close to Elias, treating him like he was a blood relative than just another inhabitant, their bond grew strong as years passed and her depart created a rather detrimental impact on Elias. Who closed in on himself and ceased to socialize, a partial root to his present conduct.

However, there is a darker side to his story. This would also explain the truth behind his gloved hands which he hates uncovering at all cost, as well as his existence alone. Elias wasn't conceived naturally, instead he was created inside an artificial womb manufactured by a non-governmental laboratory which was currently exploring the nature of hybrids (e.g beings such as the Black Wolf or Great Hawk). A group of scientist took a step further, planning a project which was yet to be approved by their employer, and decided to combine several varieties of animal DNA along with human ones. Their goal was to revolutionize the science of genetic research. Unfortunately, the team was found out and reported to their boss, who visioned Elias' birth as a horrific mistake exhibiting complete disrespect to the laws of nature. The people who had fabricated the unnatural child were instantly discarded from further company work.

Up until that point, the infant mainly looked human and acted as such. So the executive ordered for the toddler to be dropped off at an orphanage and forgotten.

TRIVIA/BONUS FACTS :

Elias is rather fashionable, he sometimes goes into the supermarket to try on a set of clothes before leaving without purchasing a single item. (the art is in the savings)

It is stated by several NPCs that he has a bad habit of staring, this is actually due to him daydreaming/spacing out whilst looking ahead unconsciously.

His favorite drink is lemonade and favorite dessert is lemon tart, anything that has to do with lemons is usually enjoyed by Elias.

When adapting to an environment, his hands are the first to metamorphose. They also connect to his emotions/primal instincts, circumstances like these are what drove Elias to hide them.

His screams sound like a mix of Caraxes and Syrax, his sounds are more guttural than actual cries.

CREDITS FOR PICREW :

#1; #2; #3; #4; #5; #6; #7; #8; #9

[rbbess110]

WIP intro: The Ring. A comedy in five acts.

Genre: romantic comedy, satire, Christmas comedy

Themes and tropes: fake dating, queer romance, family drama, miscommunication, sibling rivalry

Progress/Target: first draft, 95/~150 pages (see extra notes) More under cut!

Summary:

Sylwester is trying to be the perfect son for once in his life. After lots of experimenting, tons of fails and multiple wrong turns, he finally came out on top. With a stable career and a wonderful girl at his side, he actually might not seem like a disappointment next to his “wonderful” and “always beloved” older brother. Especially when he announces that he’ll be the first to marry out of his siblings! Because he definitely will – he already has a ring, and he is going to propose on Christmas Eve. It’s not like he’s been fighting with his fiancee-to-be for the past couple of weeks. Not at all… Patryk is trying so hard to be the perfect son he's always been. But expectations are changing as he’s growing older, and sometimes it feels like he isn’t good enough anymore. So when Sylwester’s mistake makes his parents think that he’s about to propose to his best friend- Maybe it’s not so bad at all? At least he won’t have to explain why he’s still single. He feels bad about getting Mikolaj all tangled up in this, but it’s not like it’ll change anything… Right? Klaudia has never tried to be the perfect daughter. And fairly, she isn’t planning on changing that. What she is planning on doing though, is watching her idiot brothers make fools of themselves trying to make their parents happy, and enjoy the chaos that unravels. For all she knows, Christmas this year is about to be a mess, but it also will be really fun.

In other words: the Kozlowski family gets back together for Christmas, and it turns out to be messier than anyone expects. With quite cliché romantic comedy shenanigans on one hand, on the other it’s a satire commentary of the expectations many families still set for their children, and the priorities they make them uphold.

Characters:

Patryk – 25 y.o., finishing his master’s degree in Data Science while working 9-to-5 as a programmer. Gifted kid in his childhood and teenage years, now a workaholic surviving only thanks to black coffee.

Sylwester – 23 y.o., working as a party planner and climbing up the ladder surprisingly fast for his young age. Looking forward to stop being second place in the family. Considered to be a bit of a “showman”, but who doesn’t like a tiny bit of drama here and there?

Klaudia – 17 y.o., high school student. The youngest and still considered to be the family’s baby, despite not being that small anymore. Well-known for causing chaos.

Anka (Anna) – 24 y.o., a journalist, known for her sharp tongue both in her writing and personal life. Sylwester’s current girlfriend and soon-to-be fiancee.

Mikolaj – 25 y.o., in the same boat as Patryk career-wise; Patryk’s best friend and co-worker. Too nice for his own good.

Mr. and Mrs. Kozlowski – the parents of Patryk, Sylwester and Klaudia. Can’t wait to have grandkids. They don’t have a favourite child, of course not, but have you heard that Patryk got promoted lately? He’s really amazing, isn’t he?

Extra notes: I’m writing it in a format of a play, in verse, so I’m finding pages a better way to track my progress than word count. I know it’s technically less specific, but word count when writing in verse doesn’t really… work the same way it does with prose, and it’s more confusing than anything. For reference, “The Ring” currently is at 10.5k words, but it’s 95 pages, with three out of five acts pretty much already written. So tracking progress in pages it is, thahah-

Also, this is my first project in a while that takes place in Poland. It makes sense, because I’m Polish, and this is satire, and I’m making a point by ridiculing certain social norms- it would be weird to try to place this in an environment I’m not personally familiar with, or ridicule social norms in a society I don’t personally know? Anyway hopefully all the painfully Polish names won’t hurt your eyes, thaha

[shyfoxsky]

Gif Credits: DailyShirbert on Tumblr, PopularCultureSource on Tumblr

It's that time of year again for me to question foxes! If you know me from Instagram, you'll know this is pretty normal, and if I'm new to you, then welcome, my name is FoxSky, and I started out as a therian believing myself to be a red fox, which is where my name came from.

This isn't anything unusual, me considering foxes again. These guys are about as integral to my identity and journey as a therian as my actual theriotype. I started out as one, and no matter what, I keep coming back to them. Some part of me even wants to consider them as a theriotype on the side, call myself a polytherian. It's just how my identity has always been, dancing with these little ones throughout the eight and a half years I've been awakened.

Though, one weird thing I've noticed is that as my identity has become more complex and I've understood it and my self-image more and seen myself more in detail, considering my body type and the black accents along my face, ears, back, and tail, I've been looking a bit more at cross foxes than red foxes. These are the same animal, cross foxes are just a partially melanistic color morph of a standard red fox (not a cross between a red and silver fox (simply a fully melanistic red fox) as I was told multiple times when I was a teenager in the community and being a pet or fur farm fox was all the rage so all the foxes could be unique from each other on Instagram with cool coat colors), but it's still an interesting development. I think that as my personal identity has changed, not just my animality, but also my personal fashion style and music taste and aesthetic, I've begun to unintentionally incorporate my place in the emo subculture into how I see myself as an animal. My red hair has always been something that's carried over, as I simply see myself as a ginger creature, both in a human and nonhuman sense, but now I'm starting to see the addition of my black attire doing the same and becoming fur accenting alongside the red. Where I used to roleplay warrior cats as a straight ginger cat, now I lean far more into calico and tortoiseshell. It just feels more right to me.

I don't know if I am a fox or not. A lot of people in my personal life, especially my mate, associate me with them and see me as one more than as a wolf. I don't know if I'm hesitant to call them a theriotype because I don't want to believe I am the same creature I am now that I was nearly a decade ago or if they genuinely just aren't me, but as of late, I don't think it really matters. It's nice to have a set theriotype that I can use as a placeholder for my human face here online for all of you to see me as, but in my day to day, it isn't that serious. Wolves and foxes are very different, but also very similar. They're both carnivore-leaning omnivores that live in the same areas and habitats and are both extremely skittish and wary, the main differences being their body sizes and prey sizes, sociality, and certain things like denning habits, but that doesn't detract from the similarities. Some days I don't feel fox at all, and some days I feel almost entirely fox. I think the main difference comes in that I rarely if ever don't feel like a wolf, but I do go decently long periods without even thinking about foxes. I don't know if that's a normal thing for polytherians or not, but I have bigger things to do than worry about all that, like finishing my degree, getting my first job, and moving in with and getting married to my mate. So, for now, I'm content with a Venn diagram where wolves overlap my "Me" circle pretty much entirely and foxes overlap those two about halfway.

If anybody's wondering what exactly spurred all this by the way, it's because my mate bought me the lego 3-in-1 fox set to build together for a date night and it made me feel some way that I needed to jot down.

[fanficshiddles]

The Call Of Fate, Chapter 1

Summary: Jade gets the shock of her life when she finds out she is adopted and is actually of royal blood. Her biological parents want her to wed a Prince in a years time, so they send her to stay with The Avengers for the time being, so they can keep her safe and make sure she doesn’t do a runner. However, while with The Avengers, Jade finds herself falling for a certain Asgardian Prince instead.

Angsty Fic. 

‘This cannot be happening.’ Jade muttered to herself as she looked around the room of superheroes.

‘Welcome. We might look scary, but we’re not, honest.’ Tony greeted the young woman. The Avengers were all just back from a mission, so still in their various armour/costumes when the newbie arrived.

Jade raised an eyebrow at him as she folded her arms over her chest. ‘Trust me, I’ve seen scarier. You all look like a bunch of children’s entertainers you get at parties.’  

Tony was slightly taken aback. The rest of the team huffed a bit, some stayed silent. Apart from Loki, who was lurking at the back, he just smirked with a low chuckle.

‘It’s Jasmine, right?’ Natasha asked, stepping forward with a kind smile.

‘Jade.’ She corrected. Natasha looked a little confused. ‘Jasmine was my birth name, which makes sense now, but I never liked it. So, it’s Jade. My parents…’ She paused a moment and looked slightly hurt before covering it again. ‘My adopted parents called me Jade, as I wanted.’

‘Right… Jade.’ Natasha nodded and smiled. ‘Why don’t I show you around?’

‘Yeah, sure.’ Jade nodded and swung her bag over her shoulder, then followed Natasha out of the room.

‘Well, she seems… nice?’ Banner said, looking at the others.

‘She’s just been taken from a home and family she thought was hers for her whole life. To be told she’s actually of royal blood and has to marry a prince from another country in a year. In the meantime, she has to stay with a bunch of imbeciles to make sure she doesn’t pull a runner, in a country away from her friends and family… all in one day? That’s a hell of a lot to dump on a young woman like that.’ Loki said in her defence.

The team could understand Loki sympathising with her to a degree, with the adopted part anyway.

‘That’s true. It will be tough for her, she will take time to adjust and for everything to sink in.’ Thor said.

‘Well, I don’t know about you lot but I’m away to shower.’ Steve said as he headed out of the room too. The rest of the team split as well.

-

‘So, are you doing ok? Fury told us about everything that’s happened to you today, it must be quite a shock.’ Natasha asked Jade as she showed her around the base.

‘Yeah, as ok as I can be I guess.’ Jade shrugged. ‘I’m hoping that in time they’ll see I am NOT a good fit for what they want me to be. I don’t care if it’s in my blood, I’m not the princess they want me to be. You should have seen my dad’s face when he first saw me. Tattoos and piercings with dyed blue hair is not what he was expecting.’

Natasha smiled a bit. ‘No, I guess not. But he can’t expect you to just fall into his ideal daughter after putting you up for adoption as a baby… Did they explain why they did that?’

Jade sighed. ‘Apparently, they were trying for a boy, already had two daughters and simply didn’t want another. But now, those other daughters are grown up and already married off to other royals. They just care about wealth. They heard that King Samson was looking for a princess for his son, they’re a really wealthy family. That’s the only reason they searched for me. That’s why I’ve been placed here, they don’t even want to spend the time with me at their home to get to know me themselves.’

Natasha reached out and gave her shoulder a squeeze. ‘I’m sorry… really. Perhaps there’s something we can do, give us time to speak to some lawyers. Maybe there’s a way out of it.’

‘You think?’

‘Don’t get your hopes up, as I know dealing with royalty can be difficult, but there might be something we can do.’ Natasha smiled.

Jade smiled back at her. ‘Thanks… But I doubt it. They are stinking rich and have a lot of connections, I wouldn’t be surprised if they can make any issues go away if they throw enough money at it.’

Natasha fell silent when they reached Jade’s room. ‘This is your room. I’ll let you get settled. Come join us for dinner when you’re ready. We’re a good bunch of people really, even if we are just children’s entertainers.’ She winked at Jade.

Jade laughed a bit. ‘Thanks.’

She entered her room and was surprised to see how large the room was. There was an en-suite, which was a big plus. She had been worried about having to share a bathroom. Her suitcases and belongings had already been brought to the room. She let out a breath of relief to see her bass guitar was there, unscathed.

But then her heart broke at the thought of not getting to ever play again properly. Her real dad had already told her about what would be expected of her once she was married. He didn’t even give her a chance to argue her case before he sent guards to take her here.

Jade had tried to remain strong, but she ended up having a small breakdown on the bed. She let it all out until she couldn’t cry anymore.

Her life had always felt perfect, up until today. She had been through college, had great friends and family. Her adopted parents even supported her when she decided to concentrate on her band instead of taking on an internship. It hurt so badly thinking she might not see them again, they had raised and treated her as their own. They were her true parents, no matter what.

‘Why the fuck am I just letting this happen?’ She snapped at herself and jumped off the bed.

Feeling the rage flowing through her veins, she grabbed a small bag and chucked in her essentials, then grabbed her guitar and put that over her shoulder too. She went over to the window and opened it up.

Luckily, she was on the ground floor. So she carefully climbed out and lowered herself down to the ground. The base was on the outskirts of the city, so she knew she wouldn’t have too far to walk to get a train or a bus.

She failed to notice that Loki was outside with Thor, Natasha and Tony. They were discussing some new training areas.

‘Didn’t take her long to try.’ Tony sighed when they spotted her walking fast across the green at the other side of the base. He was about to press the siren on his watch to alert the guards, but Loki grabbed his wrist to stop him.

‘Don’t. Let me get her back. We don’t need to be threatening her trust already by getting SHIELD guards hauling her back inside. She already feels trapped enough, I’m sure.’

‘Loki’s right, it might be best to let him get her back without making a fuss.’ Natasha said.

‘Alright, fine. But no funny business, reindeer games.’ Tony glared at Loki, who stuck his tongue out at him in response.

‘So childish.’ Tony scolded as Loki vanished on front of their eyes.

Jade was almost at the boundary line when a voice caught her attention from the side.

‘Already fed up of us, huh?’ Loki asked. He was leaning casually against a tree nearby. He was wearing normal clothes now, dark jeans and a deep green shirt.

‘Yep. Don’t want to be caught hanging out with the likes of you guys, so… Just making my way out.’ She shrugged and carried on walking.

Loki casually walked over, easily catching up to her with his large strides, though he was unhurried. She was slightly surprised at how tall this guy was as he fell into step next to her. She had heard of The Avengers before, knew who they were. She had a feeling this was one of the Gods, but she wasn’t sure which one. She’d never taken a great interest really to know what they looked like.

‘Where are you headed, kid?’ He asked.

She shot him a glare. ‘I’m not a kid.’ She scoffed.

‘I bet you are in comparison to me. Even Stark is a kid. Come on, how old are you?’ Loki smirked.

‘None of your business. You don’t ask a lady her age.’ Jade hissed at him and kept her eyes forward as they headed out of the gates and onto the dirt track.

Loki laughed. ‘I get the feeling you’re not much of a lady.’ He teased.

She stopped dead and glared up at him. ‘Excuse me?’

He smirked widely and shrugged. ‘I think they want you to be, but you’re very much your own woman. And that’s one of the reasons why you’re running away right now.’

Jade opened her mouth, but wasn’t sure how to come back to that one. As he wasn’t exactly wrong…

‘Just… leave me alone.’ She huffed and carried on walking.

‘I really think it’d be best if you come back with me. Do you really want Stark to send out the SHIELD goons to come and fetch you? Which you know will happen, it won’t take them long to find you. There are agents all over the city, not to mention cameras they can tap into anytime and anywhere… But, it’s your choice. I’m not going to drag you back kicking and screaming. I’ll leave that for the agents to do.’ Loki said his piece then turned on his heels and began slowly walking back to base.

Jade stopped dead in her tracks and gritted her teeth. She sighed and put her face into her hands for a moment. Annoyingly, she knew he was right. And she could see a black SUV in the distance coming up the track towards the base as it was.

Turning around, she walked after Loki. Once she caught up with him, he walked a little faster so she had to quicken her pace slightly to keep up.

‘Which one are you then?’ She asked him.

‘What do you mean?’ He raised an eyebrow at her.

‘Are you Thor or Loki? I’m assuming you’re one of the Gods. With how tall you are, and going on about the age thing. Gods live a lot longer, right?’

It was Loki’s turn to suddenly stop dead and glare at her. ‘You don’t know who I am?’

Jade shrugged. ‘I wouldn’t be asking if I did.’

‘I am Loki. Prince of Asgard and Jotunheim. God of mischief. How dare you even think I could be that imbecile of a brother of mine!’

Jade couldn’t help but laugh at how appalled he was.

‘Sorry… I have heard of you both, but had no idea what you looked like. If it’s any consolation, you are the better looking one.’

Loki’s face changed drastically and he grinned. ‘Well, of course I am. Everyone knows that anyway.’ He started walking again and so did Jade.

She internally did a little dance that she had been able to switch the conversation around like that, stroking his ego to stop him from being pissed off. She had a feeling the Gods would be rather obsessed with their looks. And while he didn’t seem like he would harm her, she didn’t know any of them and what they were capable of really. So she knew she should tread carefully, to an extent at least. She sometimes found it hard to hold her tongue when she should.

The SUV that had been coming up the track stopped as it reached the two. It was Phil inside one of them. ‘What’s going on?’

‘Nothing at all. Just showing our new guest here around.’ Loki said innocently.

‘Outside the border?’

‘Yep. Problem with that? It’s not a prison, after all.’ Loki narrowed his eyes at him.

‘No… Just checking.’ Phil looked at them both suspiciously as Jade waved cheekily at him. He wound the window back up and drove on.

‘Thanks.’ Jade said.

‘For what?’

‘For not telling them the truth, that I had tried to get away.’ She said sheepishly.

‘I am not only the god of mischief but of lies too, it’s no bother.’ Loki said flippantly, making her laugh again.

‘What’s it like living here?’ She asked Loki as they entered base, Loki held the door for her like a gentleman.

‘It’s tedious most of the time. So I tend to make my own fun.’ Loki drawled.

‘Fair enough… But you’re not really selling the place to me, if I am to be stuck here for a year…’ She trailed off at the thought of that actually happening. It was starting to really sink in.

‘You won’t be here for that long. I’m sure things will end up working out in your favour, Natasha has said she is going to look into it for you.’ He said softly.

‘Yeah… But I doubt she can actually do anything.’

‘Have you met the prince you are to marry?’ Loki asked as they reached her room and they stopped outside the door.

‘No, not yet. Apparently he will come and visit me here a few times before the wedding.’ She cringed at the thought.

‘Well, he might not be so bad. Not all princes are born with sticks shoved up their ass. He might be good looking and… fun?’ Loki tried.

Jade snorted. ‘Yeah… I guess there’s a tiny chance. Listen, I appreciate what you’ve done for me, Loki. I was stupid for even thinking I’d get away from here. I need to accept my fate, I suppose.’ She sighed.

‘I think you’d have been stupid if you didn’t try and run away. It’s been a lot for you to take on in one day… I know how it feels to suddenly realise that you’ve been living a lie. I am adopted too, wasn’t told until I was a lot older. It hurts. But in time, you’ll heal from it. Family is not always blood, family is who you choose it to be. Don’t let anyone ever tell you any different.’ Loki said with a soft smile before backing away, then turning and heading off down the corridor.

‘Hey, Loki?’ Jade called after him after a moment.

Loki stopped but didn’t turn around.

‘I’m twenty-five, by the way.’

Loki smirked and turned his head to the side, so he could slightly see her. ‘I thought you were a lady that didn’t tell her age?’

Jade shrugged. ‘I guess not.’

Loki chuckled and carried on walking. ‘I’m one thousand and seventy years old.’

‘Holy shit!’ Was what Loki heard in response as he turned the corner.

[blobghost]

Blobby's Master List

You can find all my writing under the tag #blobby wrote something or you can look below! Click fic title to take you to its post! (In order of oldest to newest)

Ectober 2021 Masterlist (DP)

ectober ficlets

Exhausted Teen to Eternal King (DP)

Essentially exiled from Amity after a reveal gone wrong, Danny is on his way to becoming High King of the Infinite Realms. With a quick stop by the Core, who tells him about being an Ancient and something concerning about how the portal works, Danny ‘survives’ his final trial and coronation with only like ten different new things to worry about! Now, he just has to face his parents, stop the permanent portal that killed him, and repair a giant hole in reality. So like just another Tuesday for him. Written for Invisobang '23.

Anaktáomai: regain for oneself, recover (DPxDC)

Jason is trying to live his second chance at life to the fullest: protecting Gotham's streets as the Red Hood, going to college to get a degree, participating in Gotham's Renaissance Faire, getting a boyfriend, all of it. Sure, he's been daydreaming a lot more and it might be becoming a major problem and his boyfriend is apparently a meta who saved his kid brother after a mission gone wrong, but as far as he was concerned those were nothing to worry about. What he does need to worry about is homework and rogues attempting to kill him… right?

Take the L (DP)

Dash wants nothing more than to be a hero. When he gets a chance to be Phantom's hero for once, he takes it. Things get complicated when Dash finds out that his dad is Operative L of the GiW and demands that Dash hand over Phantom. Can Dash make things right or is everything doomed to go wrong?

Blobs of Love (DP)

Danny has been protecting Amity Park alone for what feels like years. After a long day of sleep deprivation and various rogues pushing him to his limit, he finally starts breaking down when he can't fully switch from Phantom to Fenton. Unfortunately, certain blobs who love him can't stand to see him break so bring in some help. Written for Ecto-Implosion '23.

Battle for the Ancient Realms (DP)

After having to go to the Far Frozen to check why his ghost sense is acting up, Danny finds himself the primary target during a fight with Dan and Pariah Dark. Things get more complicated when the Ancient Seals of the Barren Realms become involved. Now, Danny has to learn about the Ancients and the new powers these Seals provide the wearer before once again fighting the two hardest foes he's ever faced. Written for Ecto-Implosion '23.

Danny Doesn't Want To Go... (DP)

Five times someone drags Danny somewhere he didn't want to go and one time he drags them somewhere. Written for Phandom Truce '23.

Holding Each Other Back (DPxDC)

When the GIW appear in Gotham, Jason finds himself needing to find out what they are up to. Unfortunately, they find him first and use him as the nice sacrifice for their Ghost King summoning. Will Jason be able to fight his way out of this mess with his secrets (and life) in tact? Written for Ecto-Implosion '23.

I Know What You Are. You're (Not) a Goon. (DPxDC)

Jason can't figure out why his boyfriend keeps missing or being late to dates. He thinks that Danny is a goon, but it's only a theory. He might get his answers from the newest Justice League member Phantom, though. Written for Valentine's Core Exchange '24.

Dead on Main Spotting: the Origins (DPxDC)

Dick runs the Wayne Family's YouTube channel and has a popular series following Jason and Danny called Dead on Main Spotting. This episode discusses where the name originated from. Hint: it was a brain fart moment on Jason's part.